Monday, 8 December 2014

The Drug Called Sport

Choice. To willingly select an outcome.
A yes or no. Everyone has to make them. Children, teenagers, adults.
From a young age the word 'Drugs' didn't mean much to me – other
than – 'say no.' - perhaps a little naïve on my behalf but the
situation never occurred all throughout my teenage years. However,
the word has manifested it's way into my life in a way I had never
dreamed of. As an athlete competing at Olympic level, I regularly
have to give drug tests in order to pave the way for clean sport. The
often televised Diamond League athletics meetings are plagued by
athletes returning from bans due to failed tests. Some athletes not
only making the wrong choice once... but twice! During these meets,
social media is rife with the words 'cheat', 'drugs' and 'ban'.
Certain athletes are trending for negative reasons rather than the
superb performances. I remember as a kid watching Paula Radcliffe
parade around the track with banners protesting for stronger bans
against drug cheats. I never really fully acknowledged it at the time
but now it resonates in the back of my mind. She was extremely
outspoken all throughout her career and a true role model for younger
athletes taking up the sport. Cheating should never be an option.

All sports contain cheats. People want
to bypass their way to success and unfortunately drugs are the
quickest way to do so. I am under no misconception that these
athletes don't also work hard – they have to – but they are
unquestionably gaining a major advantage. Currently, there is no
deterrent for athletes not to cheat other than their own moral fibre.
Almost an 'Lance Armstrong Syndrome' – some athletes believe all
their competitors are dirty and so perhaps lightens the blow in their
own minds. They return to the sport having served their ban whilst
the other athletes and race meet organisers don’t bat an eyelid -
throwing themselves straight into the limelight again with several
running faster than ever. This is by no means an attack on certain
athletes – i'm sure they're are many an athlete whom aren't as
squeaky clean as they are portrayed. I'm sure many of them are polite
and kind individuals – convicted, cheating or not. I am also under
no illusion that every single person makes mistakes. Human error is
always going to creep in under certain circumstances, particularly
with the added extras of money and championship titles – egos
possibly take over.

When I started competing at a slightly
higher level in athletics, I met Dwain Chambers at my first ever
international. We were team mates and he was one of the biggest names
on our team. I had so many questions that I wanted to ask – but I
had never met him before and he had no clue who I was. After about 5
minutes of questions buzzing around my head – I blurted a few out.
He was chatting about how he found it difficult being away from his
young children. I asked if he thought his young boy would become an
athlete and he replied that he would love him to take up the sport. I
then asked how he would go around explaining to his little boy that
he cheated. It was perhaps a bit of a strong and forward question to
ask but I genuinely wanted to know. Dwain was extremely down to earth
and open which I didn't really expect. I had grown up thinking drug
cheats were villains and horrible people – again a very naïve
statement to think. Dwain couldn't of been any friendlier and truly
made me feel part of the team. He admitted that he felt it would be
the toughest thing that he's ever gone through. To tell his young
boy, who idolises him and looks up to him so much – that he cheated
- he took the easy route. For me, this is another huge contributing
factor against cheating and it confuses me how people can lie and
deceive in order to gain the benefits. Lying to their own family and
loved ones – instead of admitting that they weren't good enough to
make it to the very top. Dwain genuinely did come across as a nice
guy and I enjoyed being able to ask him questions on all sorts. Drug
cheats aren't murderers. They get distracted easily by the bright
shining lights of success and the affluent thought that they will
never get caught. I can see how it's easy for certain personalities
to be swayed but for me, it's a mistake I wouldn't be willing to
make. Drug cheats should be banned for life, examples made, purely to
try and stop other people from making the same mistake. Reduced sentences should only be offered after receiving enough substantial on how they got it, how they took it, the circle of people whom knew - every single detail of their scheme publicised.

Drugs are something that have
personally never entered my radar. I have been competing since I was
12. I've been to the Olympics, World Championships and Commonwealth
Games but they are something I've never come across. Maybe I am not a
good enough standard to have ever been offered or know the right
people. I find it difficult to get my head around why people make the
wrong choice. Sport is difficult. Being successful at it – is never
going to be easy. When money becomes involved people become more
monstrous. For example, a drug cheat who is back competing can walk
away with $10,000 for every Diamond League victory, an undisclosed
appearance fee and a $40,000 jackpot win for the series. Meaning
other clean athletes perhaps further down the field receive jack all.
It tallies up to quite an impressive amount of money. This also
doesn’t include private corporate sponsors. Yet when an athlete get
caught doping they don’t have to give back any of their prize money
directly to competitors. Yes, they loose medals and perhaps give back
a percentage of winnings but it is never anywhere near what they have
actually made. They can continue training through the duration of
their ban wether it be a few months, 18 months or 2 years and pop up
again for the next major championships alongside all the benefits
they have previously gained from being on the juice.

Would I love to be an Olympic Champion?
Of course I bloody would. But would I cheat my way to the top? Not a
chance in hell. With my mother being a former athlete, she has always
brought us up firmly against drugs in sport. She missed many a medal
and perhaps thousands of missing prize money due to athletes who had
an air of suspicion concerning them. Ultimately though, they were
never caught and so were 'clean'.

The current anti-doping system is good
but not great. The blood passport has definitely been a huge step
forward in possibly scaring some athletes but unfortunately the
doctors and the scientists are always one step ahead. UK Anti-doping
have been extremely regimental in testing me since I got added to the
whereabouts system last October – being tested every month. But
regrettably, other countries aren’t quite as strict. For those who
don't know, the whereabouts system is where an athlete is permitted
to give a one hour slot (time and location) of where they are going
to be each day – along with an overnight address. If the testers
turn up to the hour slot you have allocated and the athlete is not
there – it's a failed test. Three failed tests results in a ban.
These tests are known as in-hour tests. A tester can turn up at your
door unannounced – an out-of-hours test – however, if you are not
there, it doesn't matter. If you are there,you take the test. It
sounds relatively straight forward but it's actually quite a
difficult thing to get used to. Initially, I used to set my time slot
at 10pm (because I knew I would be awake and hear the knock on the
door) but various times I have been close to forgetting about my slot
as i've nipped out to Tesco or gone to the cinema – something so
small but ultimately being forgetful can get you into a lot of
trouble! I find it much easier allocating 6 or 7am as I know I will
definitely be in my house and most probably still in bed!

Out in Kenya, all funded GB athletes
were tested by anti-doping whom had sent out testers all the way to
Kenya but alas the same treatment wasn’t granted to other athletes
from different nations. An Olympic Champion and Olympic Silver
medallist were both in the camp and yet neither were tested (as far
as we are aware) – this completely baffles me. The athletes in
question were of a much higher standard than myself and yet they
aren't tested. Similarly, in the first quarter of this year - I was
tested every single month with a few extra tests after my races.
Justin Gatlin (convicted twice for drugs) has been tested three times
whilst Tyson Gay (convicted for drugs) has only been tested ONCE!
This confuses me to no end. Surely these people should be targeted
and tested on a weekly basis just to keep them on their toes, perhaps
slightly scaremonger them into thinking differently and from
committing the same error again! I have absolutely no qualms about
being tested day in day out, I am all for clean sport but I believe
all athletes should be treated equally. Something needs to be done in
order to make sure every nation is singing from the same hymn sheet.

Like you I know there are drugs out there, but that is really as far as it goes...

It is scary just how far people go to find a few seconds... I ran a local 10km race the other night and the number of people who look to cut a corner to steal a few seconds! I just don't understand it, maybe I'm just to honest!